Playing Tips / Videos

Here’s where you’ll find general tips on trumpet playing along with random videos and VLOGS I’ve created over the years. You may also like to check out BTB’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/BwellsTrumpetBasics/videos

Two Tips (for Staying Sane in The Practice Room) From Trumpet Legend Charley Davis

December 23, 2021 / 4 Comments / Performance Psychology, Playing Tips / Videos / By

[Wednesday, 1:07 PM,
November 24, 2021]

Hello my trumpet playing friends,

  I hope this message finds you well, and you’re hittin’ all the right notes this holiday season!

  Now, in the spirit of practice room motivation, here are two simple tips that you can use during your daily shedding. They come from one of the all-time greats, L.A. studio legend Charles Davis. Both are easy to apply and obscenely helpful. …

Two Tips (for Staying Sane in The Practice Room) From Trumpet Legend Charley DavisRead More »

Exercise for A Clean, Clear & Accurate Attack

April 28, 2021 / Leave a Comment / Playing Tips / Videos / By

As you know, getting the right note to come out the bell of your trumpet can be quite the challenge! And even once you’re pretty good at hitting the right note, there’s still the issue of playing that note musically.  So, since the initial attack is kind of a ‘do or die’ moment for trumpet players, we are wise to practice this skill for a few minutes each day.

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Exercise for A Clean, Clear & Accurate AttackRead More »

Lead Trumpet Video Lesson, Chuck Findley Is Amazing & BTB’s Third Embouchure (RoutineTracker COVID-19)

April 7, 2021 / 3 Comments / BTB Practice Journals, Lead Trumpet, Playing Tips / Videos, Trumpet Tributes / By

Howdy trumpet-folks,

I hope everyone is staying safe, healthy and making the most of a world with no gigs. With summer starting…tomorrow, I figure it’s about time to release BTB’s RoutineTracker for the Spring of 2020. Inside you’ll find all the usual stuff along with a couple of fun videos.

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Lead Trumpet Video Lesson, Chuck Findley Is Amazing & BTB’s Third Embouchure (RoutineTracker COVID-19)Read More »

Feelin’ The Burn This Winter (RoutineTracker: Winter 2020)

April 7, 2021 / 7 Comments / BTB Practice Journals, Lead Trumpet, Playing Tips / Videos, Trumpet Tributes / By

Winter 2020

Hey trumpet-lovers,

With Spring right around the corner, here’s BTB’s latest RoutineTracker. Inside you’ll find what’s been up, along with plenty of food-for-thought in the practice room. As with many of BTB’s articles, this one is choc-full of stupid mistakes by yours truly.

The Dumbest Shit I Keep Doing …

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Braces Killing Your Trumpet Playing? Here’s BTB’s Guide to Playing the Trumpet Successfully with Braces

April 7, 2021 / 6 Comments / Playing Tips / Videos, Random Nonsense / By

Introduction To Playing Trumpet With Braces

As a trumpet player, getting braces on – and later having them removed – can be a major challenge to overcome. Not only are the braces themselves physically uncomfortable, you also have to basically retrain your playing embouchure and technique from what seems like the ground up. As you can imagine, this harsh and sudden drop in playing ability makes getting braces a tough time for many trumpet players.

Because of these challenges – and the general confusion surrounding any sudden embouchure change – this article is meant to help trumpet players get through what may otherwise be a very sucky time. We will cover what you can expect braces to do to your playing, ways to remedy the initial discomfort of playing with braces and then outline a path in the practice room that ultimately makes you a much stronger player.

Please enjoy the read and when you’re done, be sure to share your experience playing with braces in the comment section below. …

Braces Killing Your Trumpet Playing? Here’s BTB’s Guide to Playing the Trumpet Successfully with BracesRead More »

New FreeTB Course, “Five Videos To A Stronger Trumpet Embouchure” Now Available!

April 10, 2021 / Leave a Comment / Playing Tips / Videos, Random Nonsense / By

(Maybe I had a little too much fun with these “stickers”…nah)

Well BTB readers, the title pretty much says it all on this one. Let’s bring in the new year with a fresh FreeTB Course!

Here are the details of BTB’s latest addition, “Five Videos To A Stronger Trumpet Embouchure.”

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New FreeTB Course, “Five Videos To A Stronger Trumpet Embouchure” Now Available!Read More »

The Banana Principle and Trumpet Playing

April 10, 2021 / Leave a Comment / Playing Tips / Videos, Random Nonsense / By

A young boy comes home from school. While talking with his mother, he exclaims, “Today we learned how to spell ‘banana,’ but we didn’t learn when to stop.”

The “Banana Principle,” (get it? banananananana…hahaha) or knowing when it’s time to stop is one of the not-so-obvious challenges of trumpet playing. You know that pushing your embouchure too far makes playing a drag. And when playing is a drag, we can easily turn into huge grumpopotamuses. Therefore, this article flushes out how the Banana Principle might look in your daily routine, then gives practical solutions for creating guidelines in practice.

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The Banana Principle and Trumpet PlayingRead More »

Anchor Tonguing & K-Tongue Modified for Trumpet Playing: What It Is and How to Learn It

April 10, 2021 / 11 Comments / Playing Tips / Videos, Random Nonsense / By

This article is about Anchor Tonguing (also known as K-Tongue Modified) for trumpet playing.

What Anchor Tonguing / KTM is, what it’s supposedly good for, and a few suggestions for incorporating Anchor Tonguing / K-Tongue Modified into your own playing.

The author Anchor-Tongues. …

Anchor Tonguing & K-Tongue Modified for Trumpet Playing: What It Is and How to Learn ItRead More »